General Information

Venue

The conference will be held in the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland. The conference venue is located about two kilometres from the city centre and about 20 min walk from hotels. Bus transportation will be organized daily between the hotels and the university to the first session in the morning and to the hotels after the last session in the afternoon. Otherwise, local buses go daily with 30 min to 1 hour interval.

The city of Rovaniemi is the vibrant capital of Lapland. Rovaniemi, called the Gate of Lapland, is located at the northern Arctic in the northernmost part of Finland. With a land area of 8016 km2 it is Finland’s and Europe’s largest town, with a population of about 60,000. This small but modern city offers a unique combination of urban services and the beautiful natural environment of Lapland, and is located at the junction of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki rivers. It is a university city, the commercial centre for the area and a city of sport and culture. Four different seasons are strongly present in the peoples’ day life and they give a rhythm for living and activities.

In Finland Finnish is the main language together with Swedish, although the latter is not largely spoken in Rovaniemi or in northern Finland. English is the official language of the conference.

How to get there

Rovaniemi is easily reached both by air or train. It is located about 700 km north from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. There are frequent international flights to Helsinki, and internal flights from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. The latter takes about one hour, with several flights every day. There are two flight companies flying to Rovaniemi in September 2011: Finnair and Norwegian Air.

The train journey from Helsinki to Rovaniemi takes about 10 hours and is a recommended alternative if there is time to spare, as this offers a good opportunity to see more of Finland.

All major car rentals have their office in Rovaniemi for those who are interested in looking surrounding areas and Lapland by themselves.

From the airport and railway station to the city centre

Airport Express – bus from Airport to the city centre and back – drives to all the centre hotels as well as the bus station, ca. 15 minutes, price € 5/person. Airport Express departs from the airport after every flight arrival. Check your hotel reception about the pickup time from your hotel back to the airport. For further information call +358 (0)16 362 222.

Airport Taxi: Cars available at the airport when flights arrive. Airport Taxi transports in the city area and the surroundings. Price € 10/person, takes more than one customer at the same time. For further information call +358 (0)16 362 222.

Normal Taxi: Price from the airport to the city centre ca. € 16. For several persons in the same taxi the fee is € 9/person. Phone +358 (0)16 106 410.

The railway station is located about 1,5 kilometres from the city centre. There is no direct bus connection. The easiest way to get to the hotel is to either walk or to take a taxi.

Time and weather

In September you will be able to see the beautiful autumn colours. Temperature may vary between +10 and -0 degrees Centigrade – sometimes we even get first snow in September. It is advisable to be prepared for every kind of weather.

Currency, Banks and Credit Cards

As Finland is a part of EU, the Euro (100 cents) is the national currency. All symposium fees and rates in the programme are in Euros. All major credit cards are accepted in most hotels, stores and restaurants in Lapland. Automatic Teller machines (ATMs) take most common cards.